


Wings

by 100xoverfest



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 05:40:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10960857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/100xoverfest/pseuds/100xoverfest
Summary: Junmyeon always thought his tattoo was beautiful, he just wanted to find out what bird those wings belonged to.





	Wings

**Author's Note:**

> Genre: Hurt/Comfort
> 
> Rating: G
> 
> Side Pairings: Luhan/Xiumin
> 
> A/N (Author's Note): Soulmate Au! because I never wrong one before. Hope the prompter likes it as much as I did when researching about birds :)
> 
> written by: akaipenguin

Junmyeon has always loved his half wing tattoo on his forearm. Since he was a child, the feathers of the tattoo formed from one feather to the entire wing, it was beautiful seeing the wings grow as he aged but one thing that Junmyeon didn’t know was what bird the feathers belonged to. Showing only half of the tattoo, Junmyeon never got the chance to really know what the wings represented nor which species the bird was. One feather lead to another but the feathers always only showed the bottom half but Junmyeon was never discouraged about it. Junmyeon grew fixated with it in fact, having his parents bring him to zoos, bird parks, aviaries around the country and buying him books filled with information and pictures of birds, Junmyeon sure enough grew up learning of birds and animals alike into the zoologist that he is now. Having been studying about birds and occasionally creatures that has wings, Junmyeon soared easily in his path and becoming a professional bird expert joining into research to help conserve endangered birds around South Korea.  
  
In a world where your soul mark only gets completed if you meet your soul mate, Junmyeon even after becoming a zoologist and having seen birds on a daily basis has still not figured out what species of bird those half wings belonged to. Albeit huge along his forearms, the tattoo make people gape at it and when he goes for conventions, interviews and even meetings with important people, people indiscreetly stare at his rather large wing tattoo. It doesn’t matter to Junmyeon, he has put up with the staring since he was a little child and even though it is quite peculiar for anyone to have a huge and prominently placed tattoo, Junmyeon keeps in mind that perhaps the large tattoo is going to be the reason why he will someday meet his soulmate. Some people like his parents have cute small tattoos, some people have medium sized tattoos like his brother, some people have their tattoos hidden in a private place and some even cover their tattoos in regards to thinking they have a chance with others who don’t believe in soul mates. But Junmyeon never covered his tattoo, he wanted to be proud that he has a soul mate (Junmyeon has heard about those who don’t have soul mates and their skin bare of any tattoo) and he wanted to show his soul mate he had a matching tattoo and isn’t afraid of hiding it. Soul marks are same on both partners, identical even in terms of shape, position and colour; when both soul mates meet, their tattoo form fully and even when they die, the tattoo will continue to stay full. Some people have their tattoo fade in colour if their loved one dies and some people have two soul mates or have platonic relationship soul mates too but that’s another story because right now, where Junmyeon is, he is staring at his soul mark.  
  
Someone during the conference he was attending asked him a question just now and Junmyeon was a bit speechless to answer her question. It was of course a question that was off the topic of the endangered species of bird that he was presenting but Junmyeon was not unfamiliar with questions directed towards his soul mark. No, what he was speechless about was the way she asked the question.  
  
_What would you do if you never found your soul mate and hence you will never figure out what species of bird those wings on your forearms belong to?_  
  
He was speechless with her question really. He didn’t know what to say because all his life he knew and he believed that someday he will find his soul mate and someday he will figure out what species of bird those wings belonged to. His tattoo was the reason why he was so obsessed with birds up till the point where he needed to study all kinds of birds so when he finally sees the fully developed wings, he is going to tell his soul mate everything about those wings and which species of bird it belonged to. He already has an outline of what he is going to tell his soul mate too so there was no reason why he would never find his soul mate and there was no reason why he would never find out what bird species it belong to.  
  
He believed that, didn’t he?  
  
It was his moping around and sulking that his brother one day comes to tell him maybe there is a possibility that his soul mate isn’t a Korean. Jongin tells him about how his colleague Minseok found his soul mate during a photo shoot in China. Minseok having been adjusting his camera before the shot looked up when a male entered the room and when eyes met each other, the whole world ceased to exist. Minseok has never been the same after that when he realized his tattoo fully formed hence the reason why the elder man was resigning to go follow his now husband to China to open his own photography company there. Listening to Jongin made Junmyeon start thinking that yeah, maybe his own soul mate is in another country too. So off he went with a year old holiday off from work, claiming to take time off to pursue aviary photography around the world while he finds his soulmate.  
  
From the treecreepers in Prague, the helmeted guineafowls in South Africa, the American robins in American soil, the common starlings in Europe, the spotted doves in the Philippines, the endangered hornbills in Borneo, copper pheasants in Japan and birds everywhere else he has been, Junmyeon sends home pictures of the birds he sees and when he has practically backpacked to every country around the world until his map doesn’t have a clean mark anymore, he realizes that he still can’t find his soul mate. His last stop was in China and when he too goes backpacking to the country side in search of the endangered Chinese Crested Tern, he realizes that if he has back packed around the world and yet he still can’t find his soul mate then perhaps it is time for him to go home. He enjoys his last moments at the conservation centre watching the birds and how beautiful they are before he buys a flight ticket home to South Korea.  
  
11 months and 28 days since he has last touched Korea’s ground and his family is there to hug him and welcome him home. No one says anything about the lack of significant other that should had been following him out of immigration but when Junmyeon puts down his worn out backpack by the couch, his passport filled with cops from immigration centres around the world, shelves filled with souvenirs that he had gotten from friends and markets around the world, his mother all but hugs him saying nothing to condemn him of his decision to come home early. Junmyeon returns to work the following week bearing gifts and souvenirs for his colleagues and pictures of birds that they might need for future purposes of their coming book. No one says anything about his tattoo still being half nor do they say anything as Junmyeon tells them about the conservation centres around the world that they might be interested in helping.  
  
What shocked everyone especially his family though is his decision about removing his tattoo, he reasons with them saying that he already travelled around the world to find his significant other and yet he still can’t find him or her so perhaps his soul mate doesn’t actually want to meet him. Junmyeon tells them about wanting to cover the tattoo with something else so that he is able to move on from the heartbreak and dejection from his lack of soul mate. His family eventually agrees with him albeit half-heartedly and his brother arranges for Junmyeon to go to Kyungsoo’s (Jongin’s soul mate) friend’s tattoo parlour. It takes Junmyeon weeks before he finally has the courage to text message the tattoo artist’s number that Kyungsoo gave him, days spent staring at his tattoo, eyes swollen from crying and plastered smiles to ensure his family, friends and co-workers that he is fine, he has to do this.  
  
So a week later after he has texted the said tattoo artist and a date set for appointment and here Junmyeon was sitting and staring at his tattoo sadly. Half mourning and about to cry that he will never meet his other half and half mourning that he will never find out which bird species those wings belonged to, Junmyeon doesn’t look up at the tattoo artist as he enters the room. When the man enters and takes a seat on the stool by Junmyeon’s seat, the man introduces himself as Kris and says that the artist, Chanyeol was unable to come in to work today because he has come down with a bad fever. Junmyeon merely nods saying nothing but acknowledging the man and his explanations go to waste since Junmyeon wasn’t really listening. When the man finally gestures to see the tattoo and Junmyeon pulls up the sleeve to his forearm, the man all but freezes at the sight. Junmyeon who wasn’t in the mood for some scrutinizing or being polite told him to make it quick and just cover the damn tattoo, eyes already filled with tears and his heart breaking to thousands of pieces.  
  
It takes a few seconds before Junmyeon pulls himself together to apologize to the man and when he glances at his tattoo, he notices that it is fully formed. ‘ _It is a turtle dove’_ , Junmyeon tells himself before freezing and looking up.  
  
Because there right in front of him is a brown haired foreigner who has just completed his soul mark. The man too continues to stare at him, both looking directly into each other’s eyes, speechless as to what to say to their significant other.  
  
“You’re-“  
“My soul mate-“  
“I thought you never wanted to find me-“  
“I could never find you so I thought-“  
“I travelled around the world to find you-“  
“I migrated from countries to find you-“  
  
Tears pour down Junmyeon’s cheeks as the man in front of him too smiles brightly towards him. Words die out from their lips again as they share the bliss that is finding their significant other. Staring and just smiling, taking in who their other half is, Junmyeon lunges forward to kiss the man in front of him. They kiss passionately of course, so much so that Junmyeon was pushed back against the leather seat and Kris was practically on top of him. When they break for air though, the man in front of Junmyeon says, “We don’t even know each other’s name.”  
  
Junmyeon tutts at him, “I’m Junmyeon.”  
  
The man repeats, “I’m Yifan.”  
  
“Now we know each other’s name. Kissing now, talking later, future planning even later.”  
  
Yifan laughs in agreement and proceeds to kiss the day lights of his soul mate.


End file.
